Openable finger ring with pivoted locking element



p 9. 1969 J. 1'. BAKER 3,465,543

OPENABLE FINGER RING WITH PIVOTED LOCKING ELEMENT Filed March 8, 1966 7 r v IN V EN TOR. J H/v 77 5/4A E'A United States Patent 3,465,543 OPENABLE FINGER RING WITH PIVOTED LOCKING ELEMENT John T. Baker, 47 Main St., Middlebury, Vt. 05753 Filed Mar. 8, 1966, Ser. No. 532,668 Int. Cl. A44c 9/02; A44b 13/00 US. Cl. 63--15.5 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to improvements in finger rings, and more particularly to an improved finger ring of the type having a hinged band segment with means for releasably-locking said hinged segment to the remainder of the ring.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved hinged finger ring which may be readily placed on the finger of a person and which may be readily removed therefrom without the necessity of sliding the ring over the length of the finger, the hinged ring being especially useful in the case of persons having enlarged knuckles where it is difficult to slip a ring over the knuckle portion of the finger, the hinged ring of the present invention being simple in construction, being easy to place on the finger and to remove therefrom, and being provided with secure latching means which guards against possible loss of the ring.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved finger ring having a hinged section which may be releasably-locked to the remainder of the ring, the finger ring being inexpensive to fabricate, being durable in construction, being neat in appearance, and being easy to manipulate.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing an improved finger ring constructed in accordance with the present invention with the latching arm thereof shown in release position.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view showing the ring of FIGURE 1 with the hinged segment thereof rotated away from the main portion of the ring.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged elevational view, partly in cross-section, showing the finger ring of FIGURES 1 and 2 in closed, locked position.

FIGURE 4 is an elevational view, similar to FIGURE 3, with a portion in cross-section, showing the locking arm thereof in released position, as in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is an elevational view, taken from the rear side of the ring as compared with FIGURES 3 and 4, showing the ring in open position.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view taken substantially on the line 66 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially on the line 77 of FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view taken substantially on the line 8-8 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 9 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially on the line 99 of FIGURE 8.

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary elevational view, partly Patented Sept. 9, 1969 in cross-section, similar to FIGURE 8, but showing the ring segments being separated.

FIGURE 11 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially on the line 1111 of FIGURE 10.

FIGURE 12 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially on the line 1212 of FIGURE 10.

Referring to the drawing, 13 generally designates an improved hinged finger ring constructed in accordance with the present invention. The ring 13 comprises a main arcuate segment 14 which may be provided with a suitable stone-receiving setting 15 in which a stone 16 is mounted in a conventional manner. Hingedly-connect d at '17 to one end of the arcuate main ring segment 14 is an auxiliary ring segment 18 which may be, at times, swung outwardly relative to the main segment 14 to facilitate placing the ring on the wearers finger or removing the ring from the finger, particularly in the case of a person having fingers with enlarged knuckles which makes it difiicult to use a solid ring because of the problem of slipping the ring past the aforesaid enlarged knuckles.

At the end of the auxiliary segment 18 opposite the hinge connection 17, said auxiliary ring segment is formed with a portion of reduced thickness, shown at 19, defining a transverse shoulder 20. The free end portion of the main ring segment 14 is likewise formed with the reduced-thickness portion 21 defining the transverse shoulder 22. As shown in FIGURE 6, the portions 19 and 21 are interengageable to define the closed-ring configuration of FIGURE 3, with the reduced portions 21 and 19 overlapped and with their ends closely adjacent to and almost in abutment with the respective shoulders 20 and 22.

As shown in FIGURE 12, the lug element 21 is formed with an inwardly-facing locking recess 23 having the laterally-enlarged top portion 24 defining a retaining shoulder 25 adjacent to the relatively reduced entry portion 23 of the recess. Designated at 26 is an arcuate latch arm of the same curvature as the auxiliary ring segment 18 which is pivotally connected at one end to the free end portion of the auxiliary ring segment 18 by an integral hinge pin means 27 which extends rotatably through the end of the segment 18 and which is formed with the integral locking arm element 29 projecting laterally from the end of the pin means, as shown in FIGURE 9, the arm element 29 being engageable through the recess portion 23 when the latch member 26 is in an outwardly-rotated position, as shown in FIG- URE 4, but which is not registrable with the entry recess portion 23 in any other position of member 26. It will be understood that the recess entry portion 23 is, therefore, of somewhat elongated shape longitudinally and is shaped generally similar to the arm 29 so that said arm is slidably-engageable through the recess portion 23 when in registry therewith. After the arm 29 has been engaged through the slot 23, the arm 29 will be rotated so that it engages in the laterally-extending recess portion 24, interlocking therewith and overlying the retaining shoulder 25, which locks the hinged segment 18 t the main ring segment 14. The interlocked condition of the segments is illustrated in FIGURES 3, 8 and 9, wherein it will be seen that the arm 29 is in a position rotated transverse to the direction of the entry slot 23 so that the arm 29 overlies the retaining shoulder 25.

The hinged ring segment 18 is reduced in thickness over a length of the latch arm 26 and by the amount corresponding to the thickness of the latch arm, so that the latch arm may be, at times, received on the reduced-thickness portion of segment 18 in substantially flush relationship therewith, the total thickness of the overlapping portions of arm 26 and segment 18 being substantially the same as the normal thickness of the segment 18. The arm 26 is provided at its free end with a knurled clip loop 30 which is generally U-shaped and which is engagable over a reduced neck portion 31 provided on the hinged ring segment 18 adjacent to its normal-thickness portion, the clip 30 being substantially the same in thickness as the unreduced portion of segment 18 so that when the segment 18 is locked in closed position with respect to the main ring segment 14 and the arm 26 is swung to its overlapping position on segment 18, the clip 30 will be received in substantially flush relationship with the remainder of the ring, as shown in FIGURE 3.

The lug member 21 at the end of main ring segment 14 is formed with a beveled camming surface 32 engageable with the end corner portion of arm 29, as shown in FIG- URE 10, the beveled surface 32 being part of an end recess provided in the end of main ring segment 14, as shown in FIGURE 5, to facilitate guiding the arm 29 into the locking recess entry portion 23, as will 'be apparent from FIGURE 10.

Lug 19 is provided with a collar portion 33 surrounding the pin 27 and being supportingly-engaged beneath the arm 29, as shown in FIGURE 11.

Hinged segment 18 is provided at the outer corner of the end portion thereof adjacent to the pivoted end of latch arm 26 with a stop lug 34 which limits the outward rotation of the latch arm 26 substantially to the position thereof shown in FIGURE 5, namely, to a position wherein the arm 26 is swung outwardly through an angle of approximately 90 relative to its normal position wherein it is registrably-engaged on segment 18.

When the ring is to be worn, it is first opened to the position thereof shown in FIGURE 2, and the finger is engaged in the opened ring. The segment 18 is then swung to its closed position relative to the main ring segment 14, namely, through the position of FIGURE to the position of FIGURE 4, wherein the end of the segment 14 is cammingly-engaged over the arm 29 by the camming engagement of surface 32 therewith, after which arm 29 snaps into the slot 23, with the latch arm 26 in the outwardly-swung position thereof shown in FIGURES 4 and 5. After the arm 29 has been received through the slot 23 and is in a position wherein the arm 29 can rotate in the generally circular enlarged recess 24, the latch arm 26 is rotated inwardly from the position of FIGURE 4 to the position of FIGURE 3, the reduced-ring-segment portion 31 being engaged in the U-shaped clip portion 30. The clip portion 30 is resilient and frictionally-grips the reduced neck portion 31, holding the arm 26 in superimposed overlapping position on the reduced portion of the hinged ring segment 18. Thus, the locking arm 29 is retained in the transverse locking position thereof shown in FIGURE 3 and in FIGURE 9. The ring is thus locked closed and can be safely worn without risk of loss.

Should the latch arm 26 become unfastened from the segment 18, the wearer will immediately become aware thereof because of the projecting position of the latch arm 26, which thus serves as a warning of the possible opening of the ring. The arm 26 in its outwardly-projecting position would naturally encounter the adjacent finger of the wearer, and the accompanying sensation would immediately warn the wearer of the unlatched condition of the ring.

In order to remove the ring, it is merely necessary to swing the latch arm 26 to its outwardly-projecting position wherein further outward movement of the arm 26 is prevented by the stop lug 34, as shown in FIGURE 5. This moves the locking arm 29 into registry with the slot-shaped recess portion 23, which thus allows the hinged section 18 to be easily flexed away from the end of the main ring section 14, whereby to disengage ,the arm 29 from the recess portion 23 and to thereby allow the hinged ring section 18 to be swung outwardly to the open position thereof shown in FIGURE 2. This allows the ring to be 4 quickly and easily removed from the wearers finger whenever desired.

The knurled clip 30 can be readily disengaged from the neck portion 31 by grasping same and urging it outwardlly to the position thereof shown in FIGURE 1.

While a specific embodiment of an improved hinged finger ring has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed as new is:

1. A finger ring of a size adapted to fit the finger of a wearer comprising an arcuate main segment, an auxiliary segement hingedly-connected at one end thereof with an end of said main segment and being adapted to form a generally circular ring therewith, said main segment being formed at its free end with a locking recess having a wall with an elongated entry portion therein, a latch arm, pin means pivotally-connecting said latch arm to the free end of the auxiliary segment, a locking element on said pin means receivable in said locking recess entry portion, and means to interlock said locking element with said recess wall responsive to the rotation of said latch arm to a position substantially aligned with and superimposed on said auxiliary segment, said pin means being rigidly-connected to said latch arm, said locking recess wall being provided with a retaining shoulder, said locking element comprising an arm on said pin means engageable over said retaining shoulder, said last-named arm being substantially the same shape as said entry portion and being substantially registrable with and slidable through said entry portion when said latch arm is in a position rotated outwardly from said auxiliary segment, and said retaining shoulder being located at one longitudinal side margin of said entry portion. 4

2. The finger ring of claim 1, and a U-shaped spring clip element on the free end of said latch arm clampingly-engageable on a portion of said auxiliary segment.

3. The finger ring of claim 2, and wherein said portion of the auxiliary segment is reduced in cross-sectional size sufliciently to receive said spring clip element.

4. The finger ring of claim 3, and stop means on the auxiliary segment limiting outward rotation of said latch arm to the position wherein said arm on the pin means substantially registers with the entry portion of the locking recess when the pin means is aligned with said locking recess.

5. The finger ring of claim 4, and wherein said free end of the main segment is formed with a beveled surface adjacent and leading to said entry portion of the locking recess cammingly-engageable with said arm on the pin means to facilitate engagement of said last-named arm in said entry portion.

6. The finger ring of claim 5, and wherein said latch arm is arcuate in shape and substantially of the same curvature as said auxiliary segment, said auxiliary segment being recessed at a portion thereof to receive said latch arm with the latch arm substantially flush with the remainder of the auxiliary segment and with said U-shaped spring clip element clampingly-engaging the reduced firstnamed portion of the auxiliary segment.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,152,340 8/1915 Obsboum 6315.7 2,582,083 1/1952 Tarteretal 6315.7 2,771,753 11/1956 Sallan 6315.7 3,042,277 7/1962 Stradella.

FOREIGN PATENTS 584,404 1/ 1947 Great Britain.

F. BARRY SHAY, Primary Examiner 

